Marvel at the history of space exploration through its daring vehicles, exhaustively chronicled in this authoritative volume featuring more than 250 artworks.
In 1957, the world looked on with both uncertainty and amazement as the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first man-made orbiter. Sputnik 1 would spend three months circling Earth every 98 minutes and cover 71 million miles in the process. The world's space programs have traveled far (literally and figuratively) since then, and the spacecraft they have developed and deployed represent almost unthinkable advances for such a relatively short period.
In Spacecraft, illustrator and aerospace professional Giuseppe De Chiara teams up with aerospace historian Michael Gorn to present a huge, profusely illustrated aerospace history profiling and depicting spacecraft from Sputnik 1 through the International Space Station and everything in between, including concepts that have yet to actually venture outside the Earth's atmosphere.
This updated and revised edition includes:
Expertly written profiles depicting and describing the design, development, and deployment of manned and unmanned spacecraft from around the world, including satellites, capsules, spaceplanes, rockets, and space stations-now updated with the latest modelsVivid scale illustrations of the many international spacecraft in multiple-view, sometimes cross-section, and in many cases shown in archival period photography to provide further historical contextEarthbound and spaceborne data and intel chronicling every technological leap, engineering challenge, and monumental achievement, from troubleshooting the lunar landers of the '60s to engineering solar-driven sails to propel futuristic craft to Mars and beyondA look ahead to an era of privatized space travel and even plans for lunar and Martian space stations and settlement Dividing the book by era, De Chiara and Gorn feature spacecraft not only from the United States and Soviet Union/Russia, but also from the European Space Agency and China. The mind-blowing machines examined in this volume include the rockets Energia, Falcon 9, and VEGA; the Hubble Space Telescope; the Cassini space probe; and the Mars rovers, Opportunity, and Curiosity.
For anyone who has marveled at humankind's attempts and advances in leaving Earth, Spacecraft: The Complete Guide to the Rockets, Satellites, Capsules, Shuttles, and Stations That Put Us in Space is the definitive reference.
By:
Michael H. Gorn,
Davide Sivolella
Illustrated by:
Mr. Giuseppe De Chiara
Imprint: Motor Books
Country of Publication: United States
Edition: Enlarged Edition
Dimensions:
Height: 274mm,
Width: 235mm,
Spine: 25mm
Weight: 1.560kg
ISBN: 9780760395073
ISBN 10: 0760395071
Pages: 264
Publication Date: 01 August 2025
Audience:
General/trade
,
ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
Introduction I. The First Space Program, 1957-1977 Prologue Capsules 1. Mercury 2. Gemini 3. Apollo 4. Vostok 3K 5. Voskhod 3KV 6. Voskhod 3KD 7. Progress 7K-TG 8. Sever 5K 9. Soyuz A 7K 10. Soyuz 7K-OK 11. Soyuz 7K-OKS 12. Soyuz 7K-L1 13. Soyuz 7K-LOK 14. Soyuz 7K-T 15. Soyuz 7K-M/ASTP 16. Mengzhou 17. Gaganyaan 18. Soyuz development 19. Starliner Spaceplanes 20. X-15 21. MiG 105-11 22. Dream Chaser Landers 23. LK 24. Lunokhod 1-2 Rovers Stations 25. Skylab 26. Apollo-Soyuz Test Project 27. Salyut 1, (DOS 1, 2) 28. Salyut 2, 3, 5 (OPS 1, 2, 3) 29. Salyut 4 (DOS 3, 4) 30. Cygnus 31. Chinese Space Station Rockets 32. Viking 33. Redstone 34. Mercury-Atlas 35. Agena 36. Centaur 37. Gemini-Titan II 38. Saturn IB 39. Saturn V 40. N1 41. R7 42. UR-500 Proton 43. Ariane 6 44. Angara 5 45. Vulcan 46. CZ Family 47. CZ-3 48. CZ-4 49. CZ-5 50. CZ-6 51. CZ-7 52. H Family 53. H-IIB 54. H-3 55. LMV-3 56. Starship/Superheavy 57. Heavy Rockets of the World Robotics 58. Explorer 59. Vanguard 60. Lunar Orbiter 1 61. Ranger 7 62. Surveyor 1 63. Mariner 10 64. Pioneer 10 65. Viking 2 66. Voyager 2 67. Luna Ye-2A (Luna 3) 68. Luna Ye-6 (Luna 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9) 69. Luna Ye-8-5 (Luna 15, 16, 18, 20) 70. Sputnik 1 (PS-1) 71. Sputnik 2 (PS2#1) 72. Sputnik 3 (D1) 73. Venera 9, 10, 11, 12 (4V1) 74. Perseverance 75. Ingenuity 76. Chang'e 6 77. Chandrayaan II. The Second Space Age, 1977-1997 Prologue Capsules 78. Soyuz 7K-ST 79. Soyuz 7k-STM 80. TKS, TKS-FGB, TKS VA Spaceplanes 81. Orbiter Enterprise (Approach/Landing tests) 82. Orbiter Columbia 83. VKK Buran Stations 84. Atlantis-Mir 85. Mir (DOS 7) 86. Salyut 6, 7 (DOS 5, 6) Rockets 87. STS 88. Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters 89. Shuttle External Tank 90. Ariane 4 91. Energia Robotics 92. Cassini 93. Hubble Space Telescope 94. Compton Gamma Ray Observ. 95. Giotto 96. Ulysses III. Space Exploration at a Crossroads, 1997-2017 Prologue Capsules 97. Orion 98. Dragon 99. Cygnus 100. Shenzhou (Project 921) 101. Soyuz 7K-MS Stations 102. ISS (completed) 103. Unity 104. Zarya 105. Destiny Laboratory 106. MPLM 107. Tiangong 1 Rockets 108. SLS 109. Falcon 9 110. Antares 111. New Shepherd 112. Ariane 5 ( 113. CZ-2F 114. VEGA Robotics 115. Mars Rover Opportunity 116. Mars Rover Curiosity 117. Chandra Telescope 118. Spitzer Telescope 119. Juno 120. Deep Impact 121. Bepi-Colombo 122. GAIA 123. Herschel-Planck 124. Lisa-Pathfinder 125. Rosetta 126. Yinghuo 1 IV. To the Moon and Space for All, 1998 - 2004 Epilogue
Michael H. Gorn served formerly as deputy Air Force historian and as chief historian of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center. He earned a doctorate in history from the University of Southern California. Gorn is the author of more than a dozen books, including NASA's Forgotten Genius: Hugh L. Dryden and the Foundations of the American Space Program, and he has been featured in interviews on BBC, History, and the Discovery Channel. He is a recipient of the AIAA's Gardner-Lasser Aerospace History Award for Expanding the Envelope: Flight Research at the NACA and NASA.Giuseppe De Chiara is an accomplished aerospace professional who began his career as a designer of Parabolic Flights facilities. He later was assigned to the ISS program as a training expert and operations leader. In 2003, De Chiara began a second career as a professional aerospace illustrator, with his work appearing in several books and publications. De Chiara lives in Caserta, Italy.Born in Italy, Davide was captivated by flying machines from an young age. His passion for astronautics motivated him to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in aerospace engineering from the Polytechnic of Turin. In 2009, Davide relocated to the United Kingdom where he has held various roles in the civil aviation industry, including positions with airlines and aircraft manufacturers. He began his writing career in 2013, regularly publishing books on space-exploration technologies.
